Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster

The upper hillside terrace delivers the famous bird's-eye angle of the five earthen buildings arranged like a plum blossom, while the lower platform sits at the foot of the cluster looking up at the towering rammed-earth walls.

Step through the gates of Buyun Lou (the central square building from 1796) and the surrounding roundhouses, including the oval Wenchang Lou, to see timber-framed balconies and communal wells at ground level.

Sit down at a courtyard table with resident families to sample locally grown Fujian oolong and red teas, a relaxed way to chat with villagers and see daily life inside the earthen walls.

Bundled on the same scenic route just down the valley, this five-story roundhouse built in 1308 is famous for its interior wooden pillars that tilt visibly at sharp angles yet have stood firm for seven centuries.

A quiet stream-side Hakka village included on the Tianluokeng route, known for its stone bridges, half-apron tulou, and the ancestral Zhang Clan Temple fronted by carved stone flagpoles.

When booking high-speed rail tickets, double-check that your destination is Nanjing in Fujian Province (南靖), just west of Xiamen, and not the major city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province (南京).

To protect the wooden structures and residents' privacy, visitors are generally only allowed into the ground-floor courtyards. Locals may offer upstairs access for a small fee, so agree on terms politely beforehand.

Tour groups crowd the viewing decks between late morning and mid-afternoon. Staying overnight in the village lets you photograph the cluster lit by red lanterns at dusk and shrouded in mist at dawn.

Public shuttle buses between the villages and back to Nanjing Railway Station wind down by late afternoon. If you are not hiring a private driver, confirm the last bus time as soon as you arrive.